Movie Review: Bereavement

Synopsis: A prequel to director Steven Mena's previous film, 2005's Malevolence, this is the horrific account of 6 year old Martin Bristol, abducted from his backyard swing and forced to witness the brutal crimes of a deranged madman.

This one may be a sequel to Malevolence, but it's really nothing like that one in style. That one was more of a grindhouse style homage to 80s slashers, this one has a much more modern style and is just a ruthless, brutal ride. The story though gives you a pretty good idea of why Martin Bristol is such a lethal killing machine after what he faces. I sort of feel that way after just viewing the movie. It gets pretty stabby and the violence feels very real and nasty.

The cast is solid, lead by Alexandra Daddario, who is going to be a star I'd guess. She has the looks and skills and is very likable.

The story isn't original by any means. It's got a bit of Psycho, a pinch of Halloween, just a dash of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and owes a nod or two to Hostel... but it does stand on it's own with some original plot devices and a very nice visual style. It's just shot very nicely, and the resulting cinematography is nothing less than striking a few times. Some visuals are just downright spooky. Artistically it just looks great, so pay attention to that when you watch this.

Overall, it's a nasty slaughter that looks a lot more expensive than it was and has a convincing atmosphere of dread. There's no humor here and it's not a feel good horror movie. It's bleak and mean. But well done. The big "twist" at the end isn't really a twist if you've seen the first film in the series, so that sort of takes away from the punch it could have packed... but it's still a wild ending.

So feel very sorry for little Martin, but you'll end up fearing him. This you already knew.

7/10